Amberclaw's Exile
by duskfeather364
Summary: Amberpaw is a young ShadowClan apprentice who dreams of being a great warrior. But, her deformed legs get in the way of her training and make her hated by the Clan. During her ceremony, she is exiled from the clan! Will she ever be a warrior?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: all ShadowClan characters belong to Erin Hunter and only Erin Hunter with the exception of the following: Oakfeather, Autumnleaf, Barkscratch, Blizzardstrike, and Brackenfeather. These cats belong to me as OCs. ALL TREECLAN CHARACTERS BELONG TO FRIENDS OF MYSELF, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, DO NOT STEAL. I cannot find Brownpaw's warrior name, so he is now Brownwhisker. One last note: my character, Oakfeather, had the same name as Oakpaw from the real books, so Oakpaw is now Toadpaw with another name. They are the same cat.** **Thank you and enjoy. :)**

Amberpaw stumbled through the the thick bramble bushes, thorns dragging at her long, orange fur. Large bruises scathed her long muzzle and along one blind eye; one ear tip torn and bitten. Her other emerald eye swooped the trees, large and fearful, as the underbrush that surrounded her swayed in the ominous wind. She was around 6 moons old, almost able to become a warrior under Brokenstar's rule, among her brothers, sister, and 2 other apprentices.

Brokenstar, the notorious leader of ShadowClan, had exiled her in front of everyone. The reason for this humiliation was her stubby legs. They were shorter than most cats, and much weaker. She was tiny compared to her littermates, though they still loved her. She could not say the same for every other cat.

Wetfoot, a gray tabby tom warrior of ShadowClan, would always bump into her for the purpose of bruising her. Toadpaw and Brownpaw would unsheathe their claws in training, scratching her on purpose. Brokenstar would never do anything to stop this behavior. Even her own father, Brackenfeather, a brown and tan striped tabby tom, loved her littermates more than Amberpaw. Occasionally her siblings, Oakpaw, Autumnpaw, and Barkpaw would persuade Brackenfeather to let her join in the games.

The only cats in the whole clan, besides her littermates, who wouldn't bully poor Amberpaw, were Whitethroat and Blizzardstrike. Whitethroat, her mentor, was a black tom with white paws and chest, and Blizzardstrike was a white she-cat with small, tan patches covering her pelt. Whitethroat was an outstanding mentor who taught Amberpaw more than any cat ever would have. Whenever Toadpaw or Brownpaw fought her to roughly, Whitethroat would criticize one of their actions to stop any real damage done. Blizzardstrike, her mother, loved her as much as her littermates and protected her from most of the other cats' claws and teeth.

During the long awaited warrior ceremony, Brokenstar had named her siblings, Brownpaw, and Toadpaw first. Oakfeather, Autumnleaf, and Barkscratch cheered all the names with pride. Brownwhisker was nervous with excitement, his "I do" less than a whisper. Toadleap was loudest, hardly a hint of anxiety in his booming voice. At her turn, she was quivering with emotion. Brokenstar stated to her, "You have proven yourself worthy. Though you have shorter legs, they will not make you weaker than any other cat." She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had finally earned the respect she deserved. She caught a glint of humor in Brokenstars malevolent eyes. He grinned wide and furrowed his brow. _"Or will they?!"_ Leaping off the Highrock, he stalked around the clearing in a wide arc, curling his lips in a low growl. Amberpaw stiffened. _What? What is he doing?!_ Snickers and murmurs came from the group of cats. "You _REALLY_ thought you would become a warrior with _THOSE_ legs?! _THINK AGAIN, FOX-HEART!"_ He pounced. She ran. He caught her. Her eye was gouged out by sharp claws. She heard gasps and cries from the cats, a shriek from Autumnleaf and Blizzardstrike. She wriggled free. She ran.


	2. Chapter 2

Amberpaw spotted a shallow dip in the trees, leading to a sheltered clearing. A small gorge gouged the land like a claw, rocky overhangs providing shelter from the treacherous thunder storm. Amberpaw wriggled into a narrow gap, giving way to a modest cave. Shafts of light danced on the stone floor, revealing a tunnel on the far side of the cave.

Padding lightly, the tunnel gave way to a smaller cave with a steep entrance on the far side. She clambered up it, wincing as a sharp stone tugged at her pelt. Finally getting of the gap, she jabbed her hindleg out and heard a muffled _CRACK_ as the jutting rock was crushed by her paw. She looked over where she was. She was 3-4 fox lengths away from the shallow gorge.

A crash of lightning shattered her thoughts. A boom of deafening thunder sounded near her. It had struck not 10 fox lengths from her, a flame now engulfing a large tree. She took off running through the forest until she burst out onto a moor. Gorse bushes dotted the landscape, a line of small plants collecting dew. A thunder path skirted them, scarcely a monster skipping across.

Night was falling, casting long shadows in the wide clearing where Amberpaw slept. She was nestled in an outcrop of a cliff, a Rocky overhang towering above her shelter. Amberpaw drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Hazelstar strode through the forest, Poisonclaw at her side. Larks twittered above her head, filling the forest with their melodous caws. At sunhigh, Hazelstar and Poisonclaw go out on a patrol, ensuring trespassers can tell it is their land. "YOWW!"

A yowl penitrated the peaceful air. Hazelstar jumped. She spotted Poisonclaw, a tail-length behind her, licking his paw. "What is it?"

Hazelstar tool a pace closer and peered over at his foot. A large bramble thorn peirced his pink paw pad, a trickle of crimson blood coming from the wound. "Come on, Poisonclaw. I'll get that pesky thorn out. I'm not sure what herbs will work, but we need to atleast wrap a leaf around it to stop the blood for now," Hazelstar stammered. _I wish we had a medicine-cat!_

Poisonclaw limped beside her. He watched where he was going, carefully. They skirted the hedgerow that signaled the edge of the border, coming around the great maple tree and heading back to camp. Reaching the hollow, Hazelstar announced to Poisonclaw, "I'm going on a hunting patrol. Watch the camp while I'm gone, and watch that paw,"

Poisonclaw's paw was still bleeding, a brown stain peircing the yellow leaf. "I will," Poisonclaw murmured. He was discouraged that his paw wouldn't heal up.

"I wish we had a medicine cat," Hazelstar muttered.

Heading off, Hazelstar scented squirrel immediately. She paused, opening her mouth slightly to let the scent bathe her watering tongue, then decided it was near the river. She stalked near, the rush of the river masking her paw steps. She finally spotted the squirrel, nibbling at a stalk of grass on the bank. She pounced. Suddenly, the squirrel jumped out of sight. She hurtled towards it, instead falling in the stream. Water surged around her, crashing over her face and filling her mouth. She gasped, trying her hardest to breath. Then all went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Hazelstar awoke, confused, on a glossy patch of grass near a creek. _Where am I?!_ She asked herself. She hurtled herself across the grass, stopping herself suddenly. _I fell in the_ river! She thought. She started to panic. The river was rushing right, so she followed the opposite way on the bank. It was midnight.

 _Where is Poisonclaw?_ She worried. Her eyelids were heavy as rocks, the lulling trickle of the river turning the panic to peace. She was hungry. Pausing, she lapped up a sip of the river, savoring the tang. _Hey, if there's water here, there might be prey too!_ She sniffed. Nothing. She kept walking for dawn peirced the shadows, color exploding over the horizon.

A musky scent hit her tongue, on the other side of the river. She paused and peered over the stream, catching a glimpse of orange fur through the trees. She made a huge leap across the creak, splattering water on her flanks. The she-cat noticed her, nimbly climbing a tall pine. She hissed, fear scent clogging Hazelstar's nose, her claws unsheathed.

"Greetings. I am not here to hurt-" Hazelstar was cut off by the she-cat.

"No! Don't talk to me... don't.. hurt me..." She murmured. Her one good eye was wide and crazy, a deep pool of emerald struck with greive.

Hazelstar saw tragedy in her eyes, dull as shadows. "Please, I won't hurt you!"

"...Okay..." She said slowly. She jumped down from the tree and sheathed her claws.

"What is your name?" Hazelstar began.

"A-Amber...Amberpaw,"


	5. Chapter 5

Amberpaw stared at the she-cat. _Is she a clan cat? "_ Hello, Amberpaw. My name is Hazelstar, leader of TreeClan," Hazelstar stated, "Do you have a home?"

"N-No..." Amberpaw replied, dipping her head in misery.

"Here. Why don't you come with me? You can be apart of TreeClan!" Hazelstar exclaimed.

"..." Tears streaked down Amberpaw's golden muzzle. She stuttered out her tragic story to Hazelstar, ending with a loud wail.

"That's terrible! You must come back with me!" Hazelstar meowed.

Leaves crumbled beneath her feet, sparrows high in the sky flying away at the sound. A cool breeze shook the trees, sending more leaves to spiral down onto the forest floor. The river rushed on beside them, sending droplets to slash onto her fur. Hazelstar padded on beside her, tail held high and perky ears.

"Hey! I can scent TreeClan! We are definitely close to camp," Hazelstar exclaimed.

They padded on a few more rabbit chases and came to a hollow between the trees. A large den made of bramble tendrils and gorse bushes lay at the far side. A small, rocky hill, about 5 tail lengths up, lined the opposite wall. A shallow outcrop of rock broke the sheerness of the cliff-face. A large rock jutted out in the center with a small den under it, a rocky over hang providing a sunny place to lay. A tom popped his head out of the bramble den, eyes widening as he saw them

"Hazelstar! Where were you? Who is this?" He gasped in shock.

"It's a long story. This little 'paw, a former _ShadowClan_ warrior, is staying with us," Hazelstar stated.

"H-Hi..." Amberpaw murmured.

"And you are?" Poisonclaw narrowed his eyes and stared at her intently.

"Amberpaw," Amberpaw gazed at the camp, round eyed, as Poisonclaw showed her around.

"Here is my den, the warriors den," Poisonclaw stated proudly. "The Highrock, where we hold meetings, and this is our herb den,"

Amberpaw shuffled her paws. What if they forced her to be a medicine cat? _I won't be much use anywhere else, anyways._

"Is there something wrong, Amberpaw?" Hazelstar gazed at her sympatheticly.

"W-Will I be a medicine c-cat?" She stammered.

"You can be whatever you like! Those paws wont stop us from letting you be who you want," Hazelstar replied.

"Perhaps I can be half medicine cat, half apprentice? I have already had all my warrior training, and have trained as a medicine cat apprentice,"

"That sounds good! Do what you like. Come to think of it, do you, by any chance, know how to heal a thorn in a paw?"

Amberpaw noticed Poisonclaw was limping. "Of course! Leave it to me,"


	6. Chapter 6

Poisonclaw limped into the medicine cats den, followed by Amberpaw. "I'm sure I can get the thorn out of your paw. It might hurt a little though," Amberpaw meowed. "Sit in this nest," Amberpaw pointed to a shallow dip in the medicine den, lined with moss and bird feathers. She made the makeshift nest at sunhigh, and Amberpaw had just started to treat his paw.

"Hold still. This will hurt," Amberpaw mewed.

Poisonclaw winced as she tugged out the thorn with her teeth. Blood trickled from the wound, and she grabbed a wad of cobweb and another herb to put on the cut. "This should stop the bleeding," Amberpaw explained.

"Thank you," Poisonclaw replied. "Can I leave now?"

"Yes, just be careful on that paw," Amberpaw meowed firmly.

The sun had just started to set, a chill, evening mist hanging in the air. Poisonclaw staggered out of the Warriors den and looked around the camp. Hazelleaf was sitting on the Highrock, gazing down at the camp. "Hazelleaf!" Poisonclaw called.

"What is it?" Hazelstar asked.

"I'm going hunting. Can Amberpaw come with me?"

"Of course!" Hazelstar replied.

Poisonclaw padded over to the medicine cat's den and poked his head inside. "Amberpaw! I'm going on a hunting patrol, come with me!"

"Sure!" Amberpaw replied enthusiastically.

Poisonclaw and Amberpaw headed out through the trees to a shoreline near a large pond. Mice padded through the ferns to nibble at the bank of the lake, and water voles were seen along the waters edge and in the water. Gentle waves cut the surface of the water; geese honking at the other end. The sunset gave off a golden glow, the pond turning a bright orange color. Amberpaw looked around with surprise.

"We never had these in ShadowClan!"

"C'mon, let's go hunt!" Poisonclaw stalked a group of clueless mice nibbling at some seeds on the right side of the lake. Amberpaw spotted a thrush on a low branch of an alder at the edge of the clearing. Poisonclaw pounced and made the killing bite in less than a second, tasting the sweet sensation of mouse. The other mice ran for their lives, but Poisonclaw was quicker. He slammed his paw down on a slow, fat mouse and heard a small _crack._

Amberpaw went after her prey, and, before long, had enough prey to feed half camp of warriors. Amberpaw had caught a thrush and a squirrel. They carried their loot back to camp and dropped it a fallen tree stump to the side of the camp.

Hazelstar purred from the top of the Highrock, looking down at the prey with a glimmer of hunger in her hazel eyes. "We will feast tonight!"


End file.
